Eddie Woods looks to bring back Melrose football

Eddie Woods was 10 years old when he saw "the blueprint" used for the first time at Melrose High School.

"My brother, Kevin Taylor, had just started and Tim Thompson had just become the (football) coach," said Woods before he prepared to coach the Golden Wildcats for the first time in Friday's MIAA Jamboree at Halle Stadium. "He played guys like Kevin, Andre Lott, Cedric Wilson, the Morrows right away, as sophomores. He built the culture and the team and they took it all the way to two state championships (in 1996 and '98, reaching the finals in '97). The feeling … it was something you couldn't believe."

Woods was a sophomore on that second title team, in 1998. Now he's back, the latest coach asked to awaken the echoes of the onetime supreme power of Orange Mound. Only this time he's digging out of a huge hole left by a 4-7 season under Hubbard Alexander and a 2-8 march of misery that led to Darryl Steward's departure and Woods' hiring after a stint as an assistant Central.

Woods only has seven seniors on this year's roster, an equal number walking away after a tough spring practice.

"We made it hard. We wanted to see who really wanted to be Golden Wildcats, who really wanted to buy in to the discipline and accountability that was missing," Woods said. "There were problems before (quarterback) Will Gross got hurt. That was just the final straw."

The attitude adjustment started even before the team hit the field. "We didn't start workouts until 4:30. Before that, they were all in study hall," Woods said.

One of the seniors who went all in was defensive end Martavious Carpenter, who seems more than eager to get last year's bad taste out of his mouth.

"After this year, last year won't exist," Carpenter said. "Guys know they have to have each other's back, all the time, every play. Coach stresses discipline and doing all the little things."

Still, the core of this team are guys like junior QB LeEarl Patterson (who nearly connected for a long TD pass at the end of a 0-0 Jamboree scrimmage with Wooddale) and a large group of underclassmen.

"We've got some big kids who are going to get even bigger and stronger as they go through the program," Woods said. "We'll have tough times now, but just like the championship teams, we'll start with the core of young players."

Woods' staff is like a Melrose reunion, with Taylor, Gerald and Jarrett Morrow and Derrick Woods assisting – and telling stories.

"We start reminiscing, and it easy to keep going to 10-11 at night like we have," Woods said. "And we brought out the films and some of the media coverage of the championship teams to show our kids this week. And they couldn't believe it."

Woods also is fully aware of the fact that he has Wildcat Nation watching – and itching to give advice.

"You don't mind hearing that from people here, because you know how they feel about football and Melrose," he said